Title: Success is a Short Line of Beer BottlesAuthor: def_of_joyRating: PG Spoilers: Through to Sectionals to be safeSynopsis: It’s easy to pick things up againNote: This is my first Glee fic and my first fic in a LONG time.

Empty beer bottles made a short line at the edge of the coffee table, where Finn had carefully arranged them about thirty minutes earlier. A crooked pile of Spanish papers lay, abandoned, behind the couch where Will had dropped them about twenty-eight minutes ago. The DVD had stopped, and was now playing the menu music, over and over again.

And Finn had drifted off, his lips pressed against the curve of Will’s neck.

Will stretched his arm out slowly, grabbing the half drunk beer still sitting on the coffee table. He brought the bottle up to his mouth, his mind full of lips and kisses and the feeling of Finn’s hands pressed against his chest. He’d never thought this would happen.

----

The glee club now rehearsed exclusively in the auditorium; Figgins insisted on it, and well, it made sense now that their numbers had ballooned to more than fifty students. Will had even needed to hold real auditions this year.

It was cool to be in glee club again.

Still, as Will photocopied music on his new photocopier, as he greeted the visiting choreographer, as he carefully auditioned the ten students vying for the one solo, he thought of his first glee club. Of his twelve mismatched but talented students who’d changed the way thing worked.

So he was pleased to get Rachel’s messages, scrawled on the back of glossy New York post cards. He kept both Artie and Kurt’s Christmas presents, even though they were the same and he didn’t really need them. He smiled at Tina and Mercedes’ long, rambling emails, and he always waved at Brittney when he saw her and her baby at the mall.

And he was pleased when he saw Finn standing in the auditorium aisle.

Will waited for the number to end, until the singers had clustered at the front of the stage, waiting for his notes. He pulled the microphone towards him and dismissed them, turning away from the stage towards his former student.

“Hi there.” His voice was softer than he intended, getting lost in the expanse of the auditorium.

“Hi.” Finn shifted from one foot to another. “I was scared you were going to make a fuss of me. You know, old glee student returns and all that.”

Will laughed, “I’m trying to save that for when Rachel returns. I didn’t think you would enjoy it like she would.”

“Thanks for that,” he sat down in the seat next to Will. “I thought school was supposed to look smaller.”

Will laughed as the years melted away. “We should catch up.”

“Ok,” Finn stood up. “Where do you want to go?”

“Now?” Will thought about the pile of papers waiting for him on his desk. Oh well, they’d been there long enough. Another day wouldn’t hurt anyone. “Sure, why not?” He stood up and grinned at his old star. “Just let me get my things.”

----

Finn laughed as he lifted another glass of beer. “You’re as successful as the Cheerios now,” he chortled. “I never thought you would have your own photocopier.”

“Well Figgins did threaten to give me the old one that you broke, but luckily he’d already sold it for spare parts.” Will took a long drink of his own beer, surprised at how comfortable he was sitting in his local bar with one of his former students. “We’ve got supporters and all now. I blame you.”

Finn stretched his legs out under the table, bumping his knee against Will’s leg. “What else have you been doing, man? Have you married Miss Pillsbury yet?”

“Um, well . . .no,” Will propped his head up on his hand, avoiding Finn’s openly curious gaze. “It turned out that there were one or two things we just couldn’t work through.”

Finn nodded slowly, his knee bumping against Will’s leg again. Will couldn’t help wondering if it was an accident or . . . “So is there anyone else?”

Will shook his head. “Well I’m busy with teaching and glee, you know.”

Finn leaned forward on the table and laughed. “That’s the saddest thing I have ever heard, man.”

Will drained his beer and leaned forward to look Finn in the eye. “I know.”

----

They ended up at Will’s flat, the one he’d been able to buy when Figgins finally agreed to pay him extra for taking glee club. Finn dropped into the couch, his legs stretched out in front of him, waiting quietly as Will searched the kitchen for more drinks.

“So, what are you up to these days?” he asked returning with a half full bottle of whiskey and a pair of glasses. “I mean why are you back? Are you visiting your mum?”

“Nah,” Finn grabbed a glass from him. “Mum moved a couple of years ago. I just wanted to, you know, see the old town, catch up with a few people.”

“How long will you be here?” Will poured a slug of whiskey into Finn’s glass and another one into his own.

Finn shrugged. “It’s open ended, you know.” He looked up at his former teacher, a small smile on his lips. “I really missed you, you know. You were always there when I needed you.”

“I’ve missed you guys too,” Will balanced his glass in one hand, tracing a finger around the rim. “You should see Brittany’s baby, though. Looks just like her mother.”

“I’m not sure you really understand me,” Finn took the glass out of Will’s hand. “I really missed you, Will.”

----

Will lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, Finn’s words still echoing in his head. They’d both been near drunk when he said it, and they changed the subject, but still Will wrestled with the words, trying to work out what exactly the younger man had meant.

It didn’t help that he was asleep right next door.

By the time they’d finished drinking, neither of them were in any state to drive, and a taxi was more trouble than either of them were willing to deal with. So Will had cleared off the bed in the spare room, avoiding Finn’s eyes, moving away from him as they tucked the sheets around the mattress. He wasn’t ready to deal with this yet.

Will knew he needed to get up. He had to get ready for school and then another lengthy glee practice. He couldn’t afford to just lie around waiting for . . . well, something.

Like that knock on his bedroom door.

“Just a moment,” he called out, swinging his legs out of bed and rubbing his eyes. He grabbed a t-shirt from the pile on the floor, pulling it over his head, as he made his way to the door.

Finn stood there, a cup of coffee in each hand, a slightly apologetic look in his eyes. “I thought you might need one of these to get started this morning.”

Will accepted his cup with a nod and a short thank-you. He sipped from it, searching Finn’s eyes for some sign of what was going through his head. He used to be able to read Finn like an opened book.

Finn stepped back away from the door. “Do you mind if I spend the day here?”

“I’m sorry?” Of all the options Will had run through his head, this was not one of them.

“I know you have school and glee rehearsal and all that, but I’d really appreciate it.” He looked down at his mug. “I haven’t sorted out accommodation and all that yet. And besides, I really like to catch up some more.” He reached out hesitantly, placing his hand on Will’s arm.

Will tried to ignore the warmth tingling through his body. “I’d like that too.”

Finn nodded. “Don’t be too late back then.”

----

Will cut glee practice short again, placating his students with warnings of overdoing it, of peaking too early. He grabbed a pile of marking off his desk on the way through, promising himself that he would get through it, that he would mark it before he went to bed.

He wasn’t sure what he would find when he walked up to his front door, if Finn would still be there waiting for him or if it was all some sort of dream that he’d made up. Maybe he was pushing it too hard with glee. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Finn was sitting on the couch again, a pizza menu in one hand his phone in the other. “You’re back earlier than I thought.”

Will shrugged. “I cut glee practice short.”

“What will your students think?”

“That I have some sort of hot date?” He dropped his bag as he said it, letting the door close behind him as he searched for some sort of opening.

“I’m not sure pizza, beer and DVDs are the hottest date material,” Finn grinned and pushed himself off the couch walking towards Will until they were standing toe to toe.

“I have marking to do as well,” Will’s voice was husky as he looked at Finn.

Then, because it was easier than asking questions, because there was nothing more to say and because it simply felt right, he kissed Finn.

It was different this time, without the looming threats that came with kissing a student. It was more leisurely, more considered, which surprised Will because he had expected it to be hot and passionate and that they’d have their hands all over each other, rather than being so civilised about it.

But it felt right.

They pulled away and looked at each other. Will broke first, his face creasing with pleasure, a laugh on his lips. “I guess we should order something to eat.”

“And do your marking.” Finn let his hands drop to the side “Do kids still draw sombreros on their test papers?”

Tags:

Comments

I love this story so, so much. I just reread it and realized that I hadn't written a comment the first time, but this is just so... heartwarming. I don't know. I love the way it starts, with Finn curled up with Will, and then when I get to the end, I just want to wrap back around to the beginning! Lovely job!